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Higher prices for fruits and vegetables as well as lower prices for fast food were linked to higher levels of childhood obesity, according to a working paper from economists at the National Bureau of Economic Research. However, the authors cautioned against price regulation, saying taxes are "blunt instruments" that could mean significant costs for people who eat in moderation and that food choices made by children may more easily be influenced by parents than the government.

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Children whose mothers gained more than the recommended amount of weight while pregnant had an increased likelihood of being obese by age 7, U.S. researchers wrote on the website of Maternal & Child Nutrition. Children born to women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy had a 300% higher risk of childhood obesity, the study says.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that an innovative private-public partnership called San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative helped reduce the number of overweight or obese children by 3.7% between 2005 and 2010. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Family Physicians Scientific Assembly.

Nebraska is not on the CDC list of states that are reducing childhood-obesity rates, and dietitian Shannon Frink says one solution is to educate parents about healthy eating and the need for physical activity among preschool children. The state has made gains in educating school-age children, and Central District Health Department dietitian Jazmin Yacama said the Rethink Your Drink initiative is pushing for school policies that eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages in cafeterias and vending machines.

Americans ages 2 to 19 need to reduce their calorie intake by an average of 64 calories per day to meet the HHS goal of reducing the childhood-obesity rate to 14.6% by 2020, a study found. Without such an average calorie reduction, the obesity rate will be 20%, compared with the current rate of 16.9%, researchers said. The findings appear in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.